Touch of Frost
by I'm a doctor not a fandom
Summary: This is the story of how Jack Frost and Elsa of Arendell met. It happened in the woods, when they were both just kids. Anna becomes a second little sister to Jack, and Elsa becomes something more. From there, the story would play out a romance, even though Elsa had ice powers, while Jack was just human…
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Although it wasn't often that the king and queen of Arendell allowed their two daughters out to play, when they did, their daughters always came back with the strangest stories. This was because of their ten year old daughter, Elsa, and her strange power.

Every year, when summer was just beginning, Elsa started begging her parents to let her take her sister out to the forest behind the castle, as "it was safe there," and "there are never any people who could be hurt." After a while, Elsa always managed to wear her parents down. It happened every year.

"Isn't this so exciting?!" babbled an eight year old Anna. "Elsa, when we get there, can we make a snowman like last year? Maybe go sledding!"

"Probably not the best idea," their mother cut in. "Wouldn't want either of you to get hurt in the snow. It could melt and become slippery."

"But mom-" Anna started.

"Listen to your mother, dear. It's just too dangerous," their father cut in.

"Don't worry Anna," Elsa chimed in, "We can still have fun! The warmth will be nice for a change, and we still get to play!"

The two girls ran excitedly out to the forest, racing each other to the line of the trees. When they got near, Elsa slowed down slightly, until Anna proudly cried, "I won!" Elsa smiled at how happy it made her sister.

"Hey, Elsa," said Anna with a huge grin, "do you want to play a game?"

"What sort of game?" Elsa questioned.

"Whoever can climb a tree first winns!" Anna shouted, rushing to the nearest tree, and getting a few feet up before falling off. Elsa waved her hand, and Anna landed in the freshly made pile of snow.

"Maybe a different game," Elsa said with a small smile. "How about we go exploring?"

"Fun!" Anna cried enthusiastically.

They hadn't explored for that long before they discovered a beautiful, clear lake. "Wow!" Anna cried, rushing forward and splashing in it. She tried to splash her sister, but Elsa was just too quick for her.

"Try and get me!" Elsa cried, dodging Anna's every attempt and laughing happily.

They carried on like this for quite a while, not noticing, or caring about, the rest of the world. That was until Elsa set off a boobytrap by stumbling over a tripwire hidden in the grass. As she hit the ground, a bucket of water poured all over her.

Elsa heard the obnoxious laughter of a young boy coming from above her. When she looked up, she saw the perpetrator. He had brown hair and eyes and was perched on the limb of a tree, laughing hysterically. "THAT WAS NOT FUNNY!" She stormed, wringing out her pale blonde, almost white, hair. She felt some of the water turn to ice in her hands, and quickly let go, not wanting anyone to notice. She turned angrily and saw Anna trying to suppress her giggles with little success.

"S-s-s-sorry," Said the boy through fits of mirth, coming down from the tree. "It's just…. Your face!" he said, breaking into fresh laughter. "But really, it wasn't meant for you." he said, sobering a little from his laughter. Just a little. "I thought me and my sister were the only ones that came here, and I was setting it up for tomorrow. Still," more laughter, "no regrets!"

By this point, Anna had given up trying not to laugh, and her laughter was just as full as the boy's. "I'm Jack," said the boy as he reached the ground, having sobered a little.

"I'm Elsa, and this is my sister, Anna."

"The princesses!" Jack exclaimed. "No wonder I haven't seen you out here before," said Jack. "I come to the lake all the time, and it's awesome. Especially in winter, though. Skating is the best!"

"The lake is SO cool!" cried Anna. She turned to Elsa and said, "We _should _come to skate sometime, it'll be AWESOME!"

Jack smiled at Anna and said, "Are you and your sister any good at it?"

"I'm not, but Elsa is AMAZING," said Anna.

"Oh really?" Jack started. "So Elsa, you consider yourself a skater?" There was that grin again. " 'cause I've been told that I'm the best. I have no doubt that if we had a little competition, you would be easy to beat by someone like me. Maybe in winter we can see which one of us is more 'amazing'"

Elsa felt that she should at least try to be friends with the boy. He made Anna laugh and look so happy, so he couldn't be all bad. "I'll take that challenge, Jack," she said. "I hope you make good competition before you lose."

"You're on!" he said, taking the challenge in his stride. "But I won't be the loser!" He smiled at her, seeming to enjoy the idea of competing with her.

Elsa looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was already sinking. She'd hardly noticed how long they'd been out there. "Anna," she said, "it's getting late. We should go home before mom and dad start to worry."

"But Elsa, I want to stay!" Anna complained.

"Better get home before dark," Jack said. "The kids in the town say that at sunset a monster comes out into the woods, looking for lost little girls to eat!" Anna shoved Jack a little and made a pouty face at Elsa, hoping it would change her mind.

"You leave me no choice," said Elsa. She leaned down and started tickling Anna into submission. "Al- alright! I sur-he-render!" Anna said through giggles.

Jack smiled at the two and said, "See ya around. Next time, watch your step."

Elsa stuck her tongue out at him as Anna squealed, "BYE JACK!"

Walking home, Anna was positively jubilant about meeting Jack. "He was so much fun! When will we see him again? I wonder if he is as good at skating as he says! It's been so long since we met anyone!" Elsa smiled, enjoying seeing her sister so happy.

"And maybe next _he'll_ be the one with water dumped on him," Elsa jocked.

Anna laughed and said, "You just need to be clever about it. There has to be a way to get him with your powers!"

Elsa smiled and said, "I like the thought, but that could be dangerous. We should be careful to make sure he doesn't find out, just in case. Alright?"

"Fine," said Anna, "but nothing would happen."

The good mood lasted all the way through till it was time for them to go to bed. Elsa was glad Anna had a chance to meet someone. She knew that she was the only thing stopping Anna from making friends and being as happy as she could.

The only thing she wanted was for Anna to be happy. If that meant making friends with Jack, then it was more than worth it. He didn't seem too bad of a person, even with the wetness.

Elsa fell asleep, having had one of the best days she had had in a very long time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Over the months, the Queen and King of Arandell felt sorry for isolating Anna because of Elsa's powers. This made them actually encouraged her to go out, but she did not want to go anywhere unless it was to the woods with Elsa. Their parents didn't know what else to do, so they let Elsa go as well, just as long as she promised not to use her powers.

To Elsa, it felt like forever since she and Jack had decided to do a skating competition, but as the first natural snow of winter came to Arendell, Jack started pestering Elsa about it every time they saw each other. Although that wasn't more than once a week at the most, it still annoyed her at times.

"C'mon Elsa!" Jack said, "Wouldn't be getting scared of losing, would you?"

"To you? As if!" said Elsa. "It's just that our parents wouldn't like me going out with the intention of skating. Anna can tell you."

"They don't trust her with ice," Anna confirmed. "But that doesn't mean that you can't find a way to skate! Jack said that Emma and I could be the judges!" Apparently, Anna was not going to be on Elsa's side.

"You know I shouldn't disobey-" Elsa started.

"So it's settled," said Jack. "How about next Saturday. It'll give you time to practice, so I know you're at your top shape when I win."

"Fine," Elsa gave in. "But Anna, you'll be the one explaining this to mom and dad. Make sure they know it wasn't my idea."

"Dad, it's just a bit of skating!" said Anna. "We'll be careful, and Elsa won't need to freeze anything, everything will already be frozen!" Anna explained.

"We just can't risk it," their father put in. "I'm fine with you going out to the lake, but ice is dangerous. Skating is out of the question. Maybe you two can be content playing tag or hide and seek instead. I'm fine to let you out, but not to let you skate. Now, I have a trading agreement to work out with Weasleton. See you at dinner" With that, he left the room, and the conversation was over.

"So," said Anna, turning to Elsa, who had been very careful to keep quiet during the debate. "Guess that means we're good!"

"How on Earth can you interpret that to mean that we have permission?!" Elsa exclaimed.

"I don't," said Anna. "I just know that you could make skates on the bottoms of your shoes out of ice. We have permission to go out, don't we?" Anna's grin then was too close to Jack's for comfort.

"Well," said Elsa, feeling terrible about how she hardly felt guilty, "I guess it wouldn't hurt anyone."

"YAY!" Anna squealed. "This will be SO MUCH FUN! You versus Jack! I know you're good, but I wonder if he is. It doesn't matter. This is so exciting!"

Elsa was glad to see Anna happy, and honestly glad to go out skating again. It had been a long time since her parents had let her use real skates. All Elsa had to do now was make sure that she could use a small bit of ice magic without losing control.

Elsa decided to put on her skates while she was still well away from the lake. The idea of Jack finding out about her magic scared her.

As Elsa and Anna approached the lake, they saw Jack already there, pulling his four year old sister Emma around on skates. When Elsa saw them, she called, "Hey! So, Jack, do you want to go first to get it over with?"

"No," he replied, "I want to go first so you know exactly what you're up against. You could use the advantage."

Anna laughed and said, "You seem confident! We'll just see if you've earned it. Elsa's great!" Elsa smiled at her sister. It really didn't matter who won, just as long as it made Anna and Jack happy. "Emma and I have agreed that you both have five minutes to impress us. Then we'll judge!"

Jack took to the ice. He was surprisingly graceful. Elsa had always thought of boys as being inferior at things such as this, but apparently, that was only most boys. Elsa had to admit, she wasn't sure she could beat him.

When he was done, he gave her that annoying, cocky little grin and said, "Your turn, Elsa."

On the ice, she felt oddly at peace. She was with her element, although she would never have consciously thought of it like that. She closed her eyes and skated. It was only about having fun, so she wasn't nervous. It was easy for her to forget the rest of the world for five minutes. Then it was over, and Elsa left the ice, not even knowing what she did, just that she had enjoyed it.

Anna and Emma talked in whispers for a while before declaring a tie. "Tie?" asked Elsa and Jack together. They both smiled a little, glad that they hadn't lost, which was close enough to winning.

"Anna and I couldn't agree on who did better, so you tied." said Emma, smiling up at the two of them.

"Guess this is what we should have expected from having our little sisters judge," Jack said, a smile playing around his lips.

"We were wonderful judges!" Anna said defensively. "We both knew who we liked better, we just disagreed on which one it was."

Jack rolled his eyes and said, "Emma and I should get home before dark. Sorry we couldn't have stayed for longer, but during winter night comes early. Guess I forgot about that before we made our plans."

"Bye, then!" Anna said.

"Bye!" squeaked Emma, waving at them.

"I'm glad that Jack won't have to pester me anymore," admitted Elsa on their walk home. "By the way, who did you vote for?"

"You, of course!" said Anna. "You were wonderful!"

Elsa smiled. "Thanks," she said, "but Jack was pretty amazing too. Maybe it's good that we tied."

"I don't know," said Anna. "What I do know is that you should get rid of your skates before mom and dad see them! They'd throw a fit if they heard that we disobeyed them!" She sounded oddly cheerful when she said that, as though it were a good thing.

Although Elsa felt bad about defying her parents, she didn't regret spending her time with Jack and Anna. When she was around them, her powers seemed far less dangerous. For the first time in forever, she wasn't afraid.


	3. Chapter 3

**So, this chapter was made because it's important to the plot, but it is only the scene from the movie where Anna and Elsa are kids. Just saying, just in case that's not what you want to read.**

**Chapter 3**

It was nighttime, and Elsa was just starting to get some real sleep when, suddenly she heard a voice whisper "Elsa." It was Anna, and just like Anna, she then climbed on top of her, saying, "Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

"Anna, go back to sleep," Elsa said drowsily, opening one eye to look at her overly excited sister.

"I just can't," Anna replied as she flopped down onto her sister. "The sky's awake, so I'm awake, so we have to play!" she complained.

"Go play by yourself," said Elsa, knocking Anna off her bed.

That was not enough to deter Anna, though. She climbed back on top of Elsa, peeled open one of her eyes, and said, "Do you want to build a snowman?"

Elsa opened her eyes and grinned. The next thing she knew, Anna was pulling her down some steps and into the ballroom, making much more of a racket than she should at this time of night, and dancing around happily.

"Do the magic, do the magic!" she insisted. Elsa, smiling, conjured up a small snowfall. Anna ran around shouting, "THIS IS AMAZING" and giggling.

The two girls played together for much of the night, running around in the snow, making snowmen, and sledding.

This hadn't been the first time recently that Anna had gotten Elsa to play with her. As Elsa's confidence grew, she became more and more likely to sneak into the ballroom to play.

Everything was amazing that night, until Anna decided to jump from a large snow mound Elsa had made. Elsa laughed and said, "Hold on," conjuring another one for her to land on.

"Catch me!" Anna shouted, laughing as she jumped more and more quickly, Elsa trying to keep up.

"Wait!" Elsa shouted as Anna increased speed. "Slow down!" she tried again, but little Anna was far too hyper, and wasn't going to stop for anything. Suddenly, Elsa slipped. As Anna jumped, Elsa shouted her name and tried to catch her with snow, but hit her in the face. Anna gasped and fell to the ground.

Elsa ran over to her sister and pulled her onto her lap, saying "Anna." She started to cry and shouted "Mamma, Pappa," holding her sister close as everything else around them started to freeze.

"You're ok Anna," she said, "I got you."

Their parents came into the room and saw what was going on. "Elsa, what have you done?" their father asked as both of them came running towards Anna. "This is getting out of hand!"

"It was an accident," Elsa said, then muttered, "I'm sorry Anna."

Their mother scooped Anna up and gasped slightly, saying, "She's ice cold."

"I know where we have to go," said their father.

He looked through a book until a map came out, and within minutes they were on horses to people who could, hopefully, cure Anna.

As they rode, a trail of ice followed them. They came into a wood and rode until they reached a small clearing. Their father jumped off his horse and shouted, "Please, help! My daughter…" Suddenly large stones started rolling towards them. He gathered his family closer to him, hugging them.

The stones seemed to uncurl, revealing them to be a bunch of trolls. "It's the king," one of them said in awe. "Your majesty," he said, taking Elsa's hand, "borne with the powers, or cursed.

After a slight hesitation, the king said, "Borne, and they're getting stronger."

The troll gestured for the mother, who was carrying Anna, to come closer. He put his hand on Anna's head and said, "You are lucky it wasn't her heart. The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded."

"Do what you must," said their father.

"I recomend," said the troll, "to remove magic. Even memories of magic, to be safe. But don't worry, I leave the fun." With that he touched her head and said, "She'll be ok."

"But she won't remember I have powers?" Elsa asked.

"It's for the best," said their father.

"Listen to me, Elsa," said the troll. "Your power will only grow. There's beauty in it, but also great danger. You must learn to control it. Fear will be your enemy."

Elsa gasped and ran to her father. "We'll protect her," he said. "She can learn to control it, I'm sure. Till then, lock the gate. Reduce the staff. Limit her contac with people. Keep her powers hidden from everyone. Including Anna."

After that night, everything changed in Elsa's life. Although she was always kept away from people, now she wasn't even allowed outside. She didn't think that she would see Jack ever again. This hurt her, as he was the first friend that she made without them being related to her. But what was worst for her was Anna. To keep her safe, she knew they couldn't see eachother anymore. And yet, for years to come, any time the snow would fall, Anna would knock on her door and ask to build a snowman.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Jack often wondered what happened to the two princesses that used to play with him and Emma in the woods. She kept asking him if he could find them, and he replied by saying that they would probably see them again soon, even after he stopped believing that himself.

When he was young, he had registered the fact they were princesses, but it had not had any effect on him. It simply didn't occur to him that it meant that he should treat them differently. Most nine year olds won't think of things like that. However, he sometimes wondered if that was why they stopped coming out to play.

It wasn't until six years later, long after Emma stopped asking about them, that fifteen year old Jack would see either of them again.

Jack was running to the forest, by the lake where he would often go play with his younger sister. This time, he was alone, taking advantage of what very well might have been the last cold day of that year. It was early spring, and small bits of green had been cropping up everywhere. However, this hadn't stopped the freak snowstorm that raged across Arendell that morning.

Jack raced through the woods, excited to have one last chance to skate before the warmth really set in.

As he approached the lake, he heard something. It sounded like someone was… crying. He stopped running and walked towards the clearing where the lake was. He saw a girl sitting by the lake, with orange hair tied into two braids. She was hunched over, and it sounded as though she couldn't get a good breath without breaking into sobs. He knew he should see what was wrong, but he had no clue who she was.

"Hi," he said, feeling stupid and out of place.

The girl looked around at him. Her blue eyes were bloodshot, and her face was wet. Yet, something about her seemed strangely familiar.

"Who…" she tried to start, but her voice faded away. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jack Frost," he responded. "What's wrong?"

"Jack?" she asked, a spark of recognition in her eyes. Then she looked down, the tears starting again. "I-i-it's my p-parents," she said through tears, "My older s-sister and I, w-we just heard." She couldn't continue, and she burst out into fresh sobs.

Sister? Jack thought. Could it be?

Jack came over to Anna and pulled her into a hug. She cried onto his shoulder until no more tears could come out. When she couldn't cry anymore, she pulled away from him. Jack sensed that the tears weren't over, just briefly postponed.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking at Jack. "I just…" her voice caught.

Jack smiled at her and said, "That's alright. You needed someone. I'm just happy I could have been there for you." He hesitated for a moment, then asked her, "Why didn't you go to Elsa."

"She hasn't talked to me in years," said Anna. "I doubt that she even knows I left the castle."

This shocked Jack. They had been so close before, so why not now? "But you two were so close!" said Jack. He was about to ask what happened, but then thought that maybe this was not the best time for interrogation. "I mean, sorry about that. Who's keeping her out of trouble now?"

'My parents used to, but now they're gone... an accident." she said weakly. Jack sobered at once. "You're right, I should go back for her," said Anna as she looked up at Jack. "Thank you." Then she stumbled away, leaving him alone.

That was not to be the last time Jack saw Anna. She came out to the forest as much as she could. Even when Jack wasn't there, she needed a change from the castle.

Whenever Jack could be, he was there for her. Later that spring, Jack took Emma to the forest, where she saw Anna again. "I hardly recognised you!" Anna said, beaming down at ten year old Emma.

"It's been too long!" cried the girl, smiling back at Anna. "I thought you had a sister," Emma inquired innocently.

"She couldn't come," said Anna hastily, "but I'm sure glad I could! I've missed you. Have you learned how to climb a tree?" And from there their friendship restarted.

Anna quickly became like another younger sister to Jack, and he an older brother to her. The first time she laughed again was in the late springtime, when she helped Jack set up a prank for some of the other kids in Arendell. The plan had been for them to catch the kids in a net that Jack had bought, but while he was testing it, it had caught him up instead. Anna couldn't suppress a short laugh, as she looked up at Jack from the ground and said, "I don't know if I can cut you down!"

Jack was always making jokes. He loved tickling Anna, and learned that if she tried to get away, she would just trip, and then she had no defences.

Jack was like the older sibling Anna needed. Although being with him sometimes reminded her how close she and Elsa used to be, it hardly mattered. It was the most real fun she'd had in a long time.

Over time, she had to deal with more and more responsibilities in terms of running the kingdom, and her parents had left large shoes to fill. She started going to the forest slightly less frequently, but she still had a strong friendship with Jack.

It was a lot of work for Anna, but it was Elsa who faced most of the responsibilities. She was to be queen one day, and although Anna would always help, she was never to be the true leader of the country. This never bothered her, though. Anyway, that would mean having to pretend to be wise and cool headed, two things that she had never been.

One day, Jack asked Anna why she and Elsa had stopped coming out into the woods. In response to this, Anna smiled and said, "I stopped coming because I always came with Elsa. It would have felt too weird to go alone, and Elsa pulled away from me."

Jack smiled slightly and said, "I was scared that you didn't like the way I treated you!"

"That was part of the reason we liked you!" exclaimed Anna.

"And I just thought it was my good looks," said Jack.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was the exact middle of the summer, the day the new queen would be coronated.

Jack still had a hard time believing that the gates to the palace would be opened, even when he saw it for himself. He knew he wasn't welcome at the party being held there; he was a commoner. Still, he would be one of the people waiting outside to wish the queen their best. The thought of Anna's sister ruling the country was a little strange, but Anna assured him that Elsa was much more responsible than she was, and would make a fine ruler.

Night was drawing near when Jack took Emma out to the palace. It was the first time he'd been near there without going right past it into the woods. There was light streaming through every window, and if you listened closely the sound of music could be heard over the still air. Jack wanted to talk to Anna, to tell her to give her sister his best wishes.

Emma was running around, trying to get a good view of the party. She ran over to Jack and had just said, "Can you lift me to one of those windows?" when the door to the inside of the castle flew open.

An 18 year old girl with pale skin, blue eyes, and shockingly pale blonde hair rushed out the door. It had been a long time since anyone had seen queen Elsa out of the palace, but she was easily recognisable by the crown in her hair. She looked terrified, but this didn't stop the mob of villagers from crowding around to wish her their best wishes.

Elsa tried to back away from the crowd, and bumped against a fountain. The moment she touched it, the water turned to ice.

Jack took a step back in shock. Ice? In the middle of the summer? What was going on? Anna and a man Jack had never seen came running out the door. Elsa ran for it, fleeing from the two. Jack didn't know what was happening, but wanting to protect Anna from… whatever this was, followed.

Jack saw that Elsa was headed straight for a harbor right at the edge of town. She reached the brink of the water and stopped to look around at Anna and the man following her. She then took a deep breath and put her foot on the water. What could she do? It would have been impossible for anyone to swim across the bay safely. As her foot hit, the water froze over. She started to run at full speed across the ice.

Anna looked as if she was going to follow her sister when the man held her back. Who was that guy? He looked a bit old to be putting his arm around Jack's "kid sister" in just that way! Then Jack felt the air getting colder and looked at the harbor to notice that all the water had turned to ice. That's when it started to snow. In mid-summer.

"Anna!" said Jack, going up to her and pulling her aside, admittedly partially to get her away from the man. "What happened? Why does Elsa suddenly have ice powers? And who's that guy?"

"That guy is Hans, my fiance," Anna responded, rubbing her arms to chase away some of the cold. Jack's eyes widened. Had this been a better time, he would have interrogated her more about this Hans guy, but right now, Elsa seemed more important. "When I told her that we wanted to get married, she flipped out. Then we started fighting, and I may have grabbed her glove, and then WOOSH! There was ice all around her."

"Looking past the 'engagement'," said Jack, glancing over at Hans, who was now starting to walk over to them, "Did you know about her ice powers before? Are they new?"

"No, I didn't know," Anna responded.

"That seems like a pretty big secret to keep all these years," Jack said.

"What I do know is that the only thing to do now is go after her. It seems we might have a bit of a… cold problem happening," she said, sticking out her hand and catching a snowflake.

Anna decided to leave immediately. She grabbed her horse and was off, with barely enough pause to say that she would leave Hans in charge. Jack couldn't go with her. He was a commoner, and he wasn't about to ask a noble for a horse.

When she left, Hans talked directly to Jack for the first time. "How does someone like you know the princess?" he asked, smiling at Jack. Still, something about that smile… it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"We met in the woods when we were kids," said Jack. "She is one of my closest friends, so there is a chance I can talk her out of marrying you, if I think you don't deserve her. So, pretty much, after this situation is resolved, sucking up to me may not be a bad move for you."

"I'll remember that, after eternal winter has been lifted. For now, can you help me hand out blankets to the people?" Hans said, smiling again.

As the second night of this unnatural winter fell upon Arendell, Jack decided to make a bonfire in the middle of the town, where anyone could get to it. He knew it was a weak hope, but he even put out little things to roast over it, as many families loved doing in summer. To him, the only cure to fear was fun.

People appreciated what he did for them, and a few of the children even told spooky campfire stories. Hans didn't object. As he put it, "What's best for Arendell is what we must do."

The next day, Anna's horse came back to Arendell, without Anna. Everyone in the kingdom was frightened and worried.

"We have to go after her!" said Hans. "Any who volunteer are needed. We must save princess Anna."

Jack was so scared and worried, not knowing whether or not she was even alive. And yet, he knew he had to act confident for Arendelle's sake.

"I'm coming," Jack said to Hans, trying to sound brave.

"No, you can't," said Hans quickly. He then added, "You have been such a huge help to the people through all of this. With all of these men gone, they will need someone to help them along, and to fight the cold."

"I'll volunteer two men!" said the duke of Weasleton. They joined a large group, already on horseback.

"I can't let myself put Anna's fate in the hands of people that she hardly even knows!" Jack exclaimed. "I have to find her, no matter what."

Hans looked him over and said, "You're so scrawny, you'd just hold us up. Don't you want Anna to make it back?"

"Of course-" Jack started.

"Then we ride!" declared Hans, as he gestured for them to gallop off. Jack wanted to run after them, but knew it was pointless. They were already gone.

It was a day later that the men came back, with Elsa alive but passed out, and no Anna. Elsa was brought into the dungeon without the men talking to the people of the town. Jack tried to get to Hans, to ask about any news on Anna, but he wasn't allowed to go into the palace and Hans wasn't coming out.

The next day, a reindeer of all things, came charging through the town, with a man on it, carrying a 16 year old girl with white hair. Despite the hair, the face was unmistakably Anna's. The reindeer came right up to the palace gates. Jack didn't hear any of what was being said, but he saw Anna being let in. He thought that this meant that she must be safe, that he could finally stop worrying. And yet the way she shook with cold, he couldn't help feeling afraid for her.

Jack didn't know why he was so worried about Anna, but no matter how he explained it to himself, the worrying didn't cease. To distract himself, he decided to go into the woods to gather firewood. Besides, with all that had happened, the whole town was running out of wood, so it really had to be done by someone.

Jack had been gathering wood for hours. He was absolutely exhausted when he decided to go back to the town, arms full of wood. On his way back, a giant blizzard hit. Although he could hardly see in this storm, he tried his best to stumble his way back into the town and make sure that everyone was alright, and deliver the much needed wood.

Jack could only tell he had left the woods by the fact that he had stopped running into trees. He felt he had to get back into town, as he did not want to be stuck in a pile of snow alone in the woods forever. He wandered around blindly, saying to himself, "I bet Hans pissed off Elsa somehow. This is all his fault."

Suddenly, the storm cleared. He could tell by the mast of a ship that he was in the middle of the water. Well, that was a bit of a wrong turn. But that wasn't the worrying part. He looked over and saw Elsa kneeling and crying. Was she alright?

That was when Jack saw Hans walking towards Elsa with a sword raised above his head, ready to strike. Jack started to run, although he knew he wouldn't be able to make it in time. He felt so stupid for not doing anything about Hans when he had first thought the guy was bad news. Suddenly, he saw another figure running, one with white hair in two braids and hands that were covered in frost. It was Anna. She was closer to Elsa than Jack was, and all he could do was watch as she launched herself in front of Hans' sword.

Hans was thrown backwards, but Jack hardly noticed. All he could look at was Anna, the girl who was practically his sister, standing there, a statue of solid ice. Jack wanted to walk closer, to bring her back, but he was unable to move. He saw Elsa clinging to her sister, crying. There was the man who brought Anna to Arendell, standing there, just watching them. Nothing was heard except Elsa's sobs.

Then, suddenly, miraculously, Anna started to defrost. Jack's heart raced as the color came back into her cheeks. She took a gasping breath. "Anna?" Elsa asked. She looked up and saw that her little sister was very, very alive. Elsa embraced her sister as though she would never let go again. Jack was just close enough to hear Anna say, "An act of true love can thaw a frozen heart."

"An act of love. That's it!" he heard Elsa exclaim, "Love."

Jack watched as all of the ice melted away. He looked at the feet of Anna, Elsa, Hans, that other guy, and… what the heck was that?! Was it a snowman? Was it alive? Whatever it was, they had all managed to stand on a boat. What were the odds of that? That was when Jack looked at his own feet. They were on quickly melting ice. "Of course," he murmured- as he was plunged into the water. He still got a good view of Anna punching Hans in the face though, so he didn't worry too much about it.

The next day, Anna came up to Elsa, fanning herself. "Elsa," she complained, "I swear this is the hottest day ever. I almost wish that you hadn't controlled your powers."

Elsa rolled her eyes and said, "So, defrosting Arendell isn't enough for you?" It was so nice to be with Anna, and she was glad that Anna accepted her after all these years.

"Nope," said Anna.

"Well, little sister," said Elsa, a smile spreading across her face, "it won't have to be. How about opening up the gates again?"

"Elsa, what are you thinking?" Anna asked, looking excited for what was to come.

"I don't know if you can remember," said Elsa, speaking faster as her excitement started building, "but when we were kids, I used to freeze the ballroom, and we would play in it. I could do that to the courtyard. Anyone would be allowed to come!"

"Oh, I've always loved skating!" said a voice. A small snowman walked up to the two of them. "Well, not as much as warm hugs, but a close second."

"If Olaf agrees," said Anna, "then it must be a good idea!"

Olaf spread the word to the people of Arendell, as Elsa and Anna went to the courtyard.

Elsa waited for the trickle of people coming in to die down before she said, "Get ready!" holding up her hands. For a brief moment, a giant snowflake hung in the sky, before it turned into small fluffy white flakes and rained down on everyone. She moved her hand across her body and the ground was covered in ice. She turned to her sister, and, smiling, waved her hand to make skates appear on the bottoms of Anna's shoes.

"Oh, Elsa," said Anna, "They're beautiful, but you know I don't skate."

At this, Elsa just laughed and grabbed Anna's hands, pulling her out onto the ice. When she started to fall, Olaf caught her. The man and the reindeer who had saved her skated up to them. The man was named Kristoff, and the reindeer was Sven. Elsa had learned this soon after Hans was out of the way, as Anna had spared no time in introducing her to them. Elsa wasn't sure she trusted Anna with men anymore, but decided not to tell her that. Kristoff pulled Anna away, saying, "Do you mind if Sven and I borrow her, Elsa?"

Elsa smiled and said, "Go ahead." Yes, Kristoff seemed nothing like Hans.

She was thinking about how happy Anna looked with him when she heard a voice from behind her say, "Ice powers? That is so cheating."

Elsa whirled around. She saw a boy who looked to be about 17 standing there. He had brown hair and eyes, and a small, mischievous grin on his face. Something about him looked oddly familiar. "What do you mean?" asked Elsa.

"Oh, a certain skating competition that I should have won," the boy responded.

"Jack?!" asked Elsa in surprise.

"The one and only," Jack replied. "I should have guessed. Only someone with ice powers could be better at skating than me."

"If I recall, we tied that match," said Elsa.

"Ya, but you deserved to win," he replied.

"Didn't you just say that you should have won?" asked Elsa.

"Yes," said Jack. "Wait, no! I mean, we both should have- "

Elsa cut him off with a laugh and said, "Alright, alright, I understand. You want to blame your loss on my powers."

"Hey," said Jack, "the moment I find something to challenge you with that there is no way to cheat at, I'll be the one winning."

"If you ever find something you have a slight chance at, you're on," said Elsa, smiling and laughing a little, "but I'll still win."

Jack smiled with her, and said, "Just you wait. You'll be eating those words."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Jack!" Anna shouted with excitement, as she pulled the man who had taken her back to Arendell over to him. "This is Kristoff. Kristoff, Jack!"

"It's nice to meet you," said Kristoff, holding out a hand to shake.

"Hey, you're that ice delivery guy, right?" asked Jack as he shook his hand.

"Yeah, but I don't really know you from outside what Anna's told me," said Kristoff, looking slightly proud that someone recognised him from his work.

"Oh well, guess I'll have to make myself more memorable," Jack said, feeling his mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"Okay," said Anna, "so, I'd like it if the two of you could get along, you know, just a bit, Jack."

"I wasn't gonna start anything or prank anyone," said Jack defensively. "Besides, This guy seems better than the last one, although that's not saying much."

"I hope certainly hope I'm better than Hans," Kristoff chimed in. "Really not in the mood to try and kill Elsa, you know?"

Jack smiled his smile and said, "We might just be able to get along then, donkeyface."

That was when the reindeer ran up to them, butting his head against Kristoff's arm as if he wanted something. "Alright, Jack, this is Sven," said Kristoff, as he got a carrot out of his pocket and let Sven bite into it, then taking a bite himself. That was somewhat disgusting.

"Nice to meet ya," said Jack, as he patted Sven's head. Sven seemed to smile at him.

"So," said Kristoff, turning to face Anna, "are you sure he can handle a ride on my new sleigh?" He had a smile on his face, like he was genuinely excited for this.

"Probably," she responded, "but the way you drive, there are absolutely no guarantees."

Jack smiled, and took it as a challenge. "Well, if I can't handle your driving, no one can. Count me in on this 'slay ride'"

"This is going to be awesome!" Anna exclaimed, bobbing up and down slightly in excitement. "Now we just have to invite Elsa. If Jack's going, she won't say no. She wouldn't want to miss a chance to show that she's superior to him in every way."

"This. Is. Awsome." said Jack, as he looked at the sleek design of the sleigh. "Is this hand carved?" he asked Kristoff.

Kristoff looked to Anna, who said, "Yup. Only the best for our official ice master."

"Is that a thing?" asked Jack.

Anna said"Sure it-"

"I am SO excited," interrupted, a voice behind them. Jack turned around to see a snowman walking towards them. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, but when they were open, the snowman was still there.

"Please tell me the rest of you see that," Jack said.

The snowman looked down at himself and said, "No. Way. I can see me too!"

"This is Olaf," said Kristoff, laughing slightly at Jack's face.

"Olaf," said Jack. "Got it. I'm… Jack?"

"And, yes," said Anna "Olaf is real. Or at least I can see him too." She turned to Olaf and asked, "Wasn't it your job to get Elsa for this?"

"Oh, was I really supposed to do that?" Olaf asked.

"It's alright," said Anna, "I'll go get her."

She left, and Jack was alone with some guy who smelled like reindeer, an actual reindeer, and a talking snowman. This wasn't at all awkward.

"So," said Kristoff, "how do you know Anna?"

"Childhood friends," Jack responded. "Accidentally dropped a bucket of water on her sister. Apparently, that's a good way to make lifelong friends. Who knew?"

"I knew!" said Olaf. "Although, being created by her sister works just as well. Oooh," he said, getting distracted by a butterfly and leaning towards it.

Kristoff started looking at the sleigh, stroking it gently.

"It is a really good model," said Jack. "How come Anna never gets me cool stuff like that? Already choosing romance over friends," he said, shaking his head in mock disappointment and watching Kristoff in hopes of conformation. Kristoff turned bright red.

"Don't worry," said Kristoff, "just get her to break everything you have and she'll replace it with better stuff."

"Nice to know," said Jack. "I should just let her into my house. She's clumsy enough she'd probably break everything."

"That is oddly true," Kristoff noted, laughing slightly. "But she hasn't noticed it. She still tries to do things like climb mountains and stuff."

Jack laughed just thinking about her doing that. "How soon did she fall off?" he asked.

"She jumped, into my arms," said Kristoff, his smile getting bigger.

Jack laughed, rolling his eyes. "She knows I'm too scrawny for things like that," he said, "she's tried."

"Here they come!" said Olaf, pointing his… stick towards the castle. Anna was running, pulling Elsa along by the wrist.

When they were in speaking distance, Olaf, said, "I am so ready for this. I also hope that we know where we're going. Because I have no clue."

Kristoff laughed and said, "Just a steep mountain path that is easy to fall off to our deaths. Nothing too bad."

"Well," said Elsa, "Lets not die, alright?"

Jack laughed and said, "If we die, I will so blame you. You just completely jinxed it!"

Elsa rolled her eyes at him and said, "Well, are you going to go even though I jinxed it, or are you too scared?" After a slight face-off, they both burst out laughing. Jack thought of how tickley her laugh was, and how well it suited her.

"Alright," said Jack, "I don't know about you guys, but I am ready to go."

"Wow," shouted Anna against the wind as Sven dashed up the mountain, "Sven's going even faster than before. And with a heavier load! Cool!"

"I can tell next ice season will be the best one yet!" Kristoff called back to her. "I just can't wait to see this thing going downhill!"

"This is going to be great!" Olaf called. The thought of how fast this thing could probably go made Elsa nervous, especially when she thought about how fast they were already going. She was sure Kristoff knew what he was doing, or at least she hoped he did.

"HOLD ON!" Kristoff cried as they turned a sharp corner. This sent Jack, who'd been sitting between Olaf and Elsa, toppling on top of her and probably out the side had Elsa not grabbed him.

"I had it under control," said Jack, turning slightly red.

"Most people would have said 'thank you for saving me,'" Elsa replied.

"Thanks, but I had it handled," he said, as Elsa pulled him back up.

"NO you didn't!" Olaf cried, "You would have fallen out if it weren't for her! We all know it."

"Alright, maybe I would-"

"Get ready for the downhill!" Anna cried from the front of the sleigh. Elsa looked out and saw that they would be going down at close enough to a right angle to make her stomach churn. She looked over at Jack, who looked almost as nervous as she did. Then he grinned and said, "This should be fun," just before they started down the hill.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Olaf screamed. Anna and Jack were clutching the sleigh, but still laughing like they were having a good time. That was until the sleigh kept on gaining speed. And gaining speed. It was going faster than anything either of them had ridden before. It was going faster than…...Sven?!

"Jump!" shouted Elsa, as they were about to run Sven down. He jumped and landed a little behind Elsa with more than a little terror in his eyes.

"Uh oh…" said Kristoff, as he realized that they now had no control. The only one still having fun was Olaf, who was shouting joyously to the reindeer: "Hey Sven! Enjoying the ride? This is SOO fast! Isn't it great?!"

"Alright," said Jack, turning to Elsa, "Coming in here, I didn't ACTUALLY think you'd jinxed the ride!" Then his eyes shot wide as he saw a sharp turn ahead.

"Jack, we're not going to make it!" Elsa cried, and clung to him.

First Jack face-palmed-and then he beamed. "Elsa, ICE POWERS!"

"Of course," Elsa sighed. She took a deep breath, stretched out her arm, and made a curving ice wall to force them to turn the corner.

"YOUR POWERS ROCK!" shouted Anna enthusiastically.

"We have not made it through yet!" shouted Elsa as the path they were riding on began to narrow. She made the path thicker with her ice, which only made them go even faster than they had been before. Sven fainted.

"Sven!" Olaf cried, turning to his friend. "He's still breathing, guys!"

"Are we almost at the bottom!?" called Elsa.

Kristoff laughed and called back to them, "Yeah, there's just one place coming up where we need to jump a small ravine. Can you handle that?"

Elsa sighed. This had been an awful idea. She looked at Jack, who was grinning like he was having a great time. He looked at her and must have seen some panic in her eyes, as he called, "You're doing great! We're almost done! Don't worry!"

As the ravine approached, it seemed like they could make it over with the momentum they had built up. They soared through the air and made it far enough and high enough, but too far to the right. They were falling through thin air.

Elsa panicked slightly, and did what her instincts told her; she made a giant pile of snow to break their fall. They landed, and somehow, miraculously, the sleigh was still intact. Apparently, it was as good a deal as the salesman had said it would be.

Everyone was quiet for a minute, then Jack, Anna, and Kristoff started laughing themselves hoarse as Olaf said, "Can we do that again?"

"Not a chance!" said Elsa, making a note to herself never to do anything like that again. Ever.

"Come on, Elsa!" said Anna through her mirth. "We survived! It was even - even fun! Why can't we go again?"

Elsa smirked at her and said, "Well, for one I have to get back to running a kingdom. That was just about all the time I had left." She hoped that these excuses would be enough to convince Anna.

"Party pooper," said Anna.

"Hey," said Elsa, "it doesn't look like Sven wants to go again either."

"Oh, sure he does," said Anna, "right Sven?"

The reindeer had shakely gotten out of the sleigh and looked ready to pass out again at any moment. He shook his head fervently and sat down, as if to say that they were were _not_ doing that again. Ever.

"You guys are no fun," said Jack, shaking his head in mock disapproval.

"Yeah!" said Olaf. "It's not like anyone got hurt!"

"Well, we can't go anywhere without Sven," said Kristoff.

"I suppose," said Anna, although she still seemed somewhat disappointed.

"I'll bring you along again, sometime," said Kristoff hugging Anna. "And next time, it'll be even better."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Elsa stared out her window, watching the few dead leaves being blown off the nearly bare branches of the trees, watching the last birds fly towards warmer weather, watching the cold morning mist swirl around the ground. Looking at pretty much anything except the intimidating trade contract with the Southern Isles.

She had been working out every little flaw and detail for weeks, sending it to them with her revisions and demands, only to get it back with theirs. It was starting to feel like a hopeless task, and the stress of it was wearing her down.

Suddenly she heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?" she groaned.

"It's Anna," her sister's cheerful voice replied. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," said Elsa, glad for the distraction.

Anna pushed open the door and sat down next to Elsa. She looked like she had just woken up.

"How'd you sleep?" asked Anna through a yawn.

"Sleep? What sleep? Contract. No time for sleep," was Elsa's reply.

"You shouldn't keep yourself locked up in here," said Anna, "it's not good for you." Suddenly a spark seemed to come to her eyes. "Say," she said, "How about you take a break and go on a sleigh ride with me, Olaf, Sven, Kristoff, Jack and Emma? After a quick rest, that is," she added, looking at her sister.

"Most definitely not a good-"

Anna grabbed the contract from Elsa's desk and put it behind her back, despite Elsa's faint complaints. "You won't get this back until you get some proper sleep and relaxation," she said, pointing a stern finger at Elsa before walking out of the room. Elsa sighed. Of course, Anna was right. Elsa never worked at her best when she was tired, and she was far beyond tired at this point. "A small nap could only do me good," she muttered as she climbed into bed and closed her eyes.

It only felt like minutes had passed when Elsa awoke. She looked drowsily at her clock to see that it was already… midday?!

Elsa bolted upright and quickly ran a brush through her hair, hoping she hadn't missed anything important, or even a deadline…

She rushed out of her room to bump into Kristoff, who was holding a bag that most likely held sandwiches. Elsa would never quite understand that particular obsession.

"Oh, you're up," he said with a kind smile. "Anna was really glad you finally gave in to her. She worries about you."

"Where is she?" Elsa asked, hoping to get the contract back.

"She's in the portrait room," said Kristoff. "Come on."

After a short walk together, they found the door already opened with Anna sprawled on a couch, looking at some picture of some romance.

"So, I had my sleep," said Elsa, "I should really get back to work. Can I have my contract back now?"

"I said rest _and relaxation_," said Anna. "Do something fun for once, then I'll give it back. Alright? Go to town or something. See you later. Bye!"

There wasn't much room for objection in Anna's plan. She held all of the power and she knew it.

Slightly annoyed, Elsa left the portrait room and headed towards the her own room to change into more casual clothes, ready to get the "fun" over with so she could be done with the stupid agreement and actually relax. She thought of inviting Anna to come with her, but it was sandwich night with Kristoff. Even Elsa couldn't get in the way of that.

She headed out to the town. Perhaps she could catch a play or listen to music or something.

As she entered the town market, she noticed a few people looking at her strangely. She hadn't exactly been in hiding, but she knew now that she wouldn't be able to go anywhere here without people realizing who she was and treating her differently. She sighed slightly. She didn't know what she had expected to happen, but she guessed that she wouldn't be finishing that contract any time soon.

"Hey, Elsa!" called a male voice from behind her. She turned around to see Jack standing there with a basket of vegetables on one arm.

"Fancy seeing you here," she replied, walking up to him.

"So, I see Anna succeeded in getting you to get some fresh air," Jack commented, smiling his usual smile. Elsa should have guessed that he'd been in on this. "So, Anna tells me you've been really overworked lately. I must say, you look terrible."

"Is that right?" said Elsa.

"Not in a bad way," Jack said quickly. Elsa raised an eyebrow. "I meant in a tired way. And I'm guessing this isn't helping at all."

Elsa laughed slightly and said, "No, not really."

"Tell you what, I'll bring these groceries back to my house, and then I'll take you somewhere _really_ fun," he said, a grin spreading across his face.

After a quick visit to his house to drop off the basket and grab a leather bag, Jack lead her back the way she had come, toward the palace, but when they reached it, they went past it.

"We're going to the forest?" asked Elsa excitedly. "I haven't been there since I was a kid!"

"Not just in the forest," Jack said. "You'll see."

Elsa laughed and gladly followed Jack through the trees, on a path that seemed familiar to her….

She suddenly found herself standing in a clearing, with a crystal clear lake taking up most of the space. She smiled and turned to Jack, saying, "It's been so long since I've been here!"

"I figured," he said, his brown eyes twinkling at her. "If you want to have a really good time, you could freeze the lake."

She smiled and placed her foot on the water. It hardened at the slightest touch.

Jack grinned broadly at her and took a pair of skates from the bag he had been carrying.

Elsa smiled and made skates of ice on her shoes.

"Show off," said Jack, rolling his eyes.

"Jealous?" Elsa asked stepping onto the ice and grinning at him as he laced himself up.

"Of you? As if!" he said, standing up and shoving her more towards the center of the lake.

Jack started skating towards her. Elsa smiled at him and skated backwards away from him, laughing a little at his slowness, until she reached the edge of the lake and tripped.

"Who's laughing now?" mocked Jack.

Elsa smiled and shot a little bit of ice at his skate, which he quickly avoided. "Bet you can't get me!" he cried starting to skate around the rink as fast as he could.

Elsa laughed and started shooting her ice at his feet to trip him up.

"That one was close!" he mocked with a smile as he evaded her. "Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me!" he guffawed.

Then, finally, she got him, and sent him sprawling and laughing.

"Oh, I've been hit!" he said through fits of mirth, as Elsa skated up to him and put one foot on him, placing her hands on her hips in a victory stance.

"You co-uld a-at least help me u-up," he said, still laughing.

"Oh, sorr-sorry," she said, now laughing too.

As she took his hand, she thought how warm and soft it was. She saw the mist Jack's breath was making in the rapidly cooling air, and suddenly felt her own breath coming short and rapid.

When he was up, she looked into Jack's warm brown eyes, seeing that they were looking back into her own blue ones, and found herself drifting closer to him, until their faces were almost touching.

Then she stretched up and brushed her lips gently upon his for just a moment. Just for one, priceless, beautiful moment that seemed to last an eternity, she felt the small snowflakes land gently on her skin, the cold wind getting colder, Jack's hand gently touch her cheek. And then, suddenly, that moment was over.

Jack had fallen to the ground, unconscious. "Jack!" Elsa cried, quickly bending over him to see if he was alright. Although she felt his breath coming from his now blue lips, it no longer created that cool mist in the air that it had before. "Oh, no, Jack," she moaned.

Elsa looked around desperately, hoping that someone, anyone, was near enough to help, but it was just the two of them. "This is all my fault," she said, tears starting to streak down her face.

Elsa bent down and scooped him into her arms, suddenly glad he had always been so scrawny. Either something about the late fall chill or her own worry gave her the strength to carry him. As she left the ice, her every step seemed put frost over the trees, and freeze the few overripe berries still on the bushes.

Step by step, she lugged Jack out of the woods. Finally, she could see the castle, close enough that she knew she could make it. She reached the front gates, and they were immediately opened for her. "Get Anna and Kristoff, quickly!" she said to one of the guards who ran off instantly.

Another guard took Jack from her and brought him into the palace to be laid down, with Elsa following close behind. He was put on a sofa just inside the castle, and Elsa knelt down beside him, holding his hand, and staring at the paleness of his skin. "I'm so sorry, Jack," she whispered.

Anna and Kristoff rushed in, with Olaf right behind them. "What happened?" Kristoff asked, his face grave.

Elsa looked down and said, quietly so only the two of them could hear, "I kissed him, and then he…" Her voice trailed off.

"It's not your fault," Anna said, touching her sister's arm gently.

"Well, actually-" Olaf started before Kristoff quickly scooped off his mouth.

Anna looked up at Kristoff and said, "Do you think the trolls can do anything to help?"

"It's worth a try," he responded.

Jack was quickly put into Kristoff's sleigh, as it was the fastest way to get to the trolls. Elsa was too scared to protest as the three of them climbed in, tossing Olaf his mouth, and Sven started going as fast as he could.

"He's going to be alright, Elsa," said Anna. "He's stronger than he looks. And if I survived your powers, so can he."

Anna's words did comfort Elsa, but Jack looked so pale and fragile, like the smallest thing could end him.

The sun was low in the sky, and the full moon was starting to rise by the time they made it to what appeared to be a pile of rocks.

"We need Grandpappy, quick!" yelled Kristoff to the rocks-and the rocks stood up and revealed their true form.

"What happened, Kristoff?" asked a motherly-looking woman troll, coming up to the sleigh and peering in at Jack.

"It was me," said Elsa, looking up at the troll. "I kissed him, and now this has happened."

"Move away," said an old man troll, the same one that had cured Anna all those years ago. He looked down at Jack and put a hand on his head. "This is strange," he said, looking at Elsa. "He is frozen, but in his case, it happened through an act of love. I'm afraid that I don't know what to do."

He thought for a long time, then said, "There isn't anything _I_ can do, but there may be someone else who can undo what's been done."

"You don't mean…" said the motherly troll.

"It may be the only way," he replied, looking up at the moon in the sky. "It has been many years since we have spoken, but perhaps the Man in the Moon can save him."

"The man in the moon?" said Kristoff. "I thought he was just a myth."

"I assure you," said the old troll, "that he is very real. Although he is very wise and very powerful, I'm afraid his ways are unpredictable."

The old troll took a white stone from the necklace that he wore, and placed it on Jack's chest, over his heart. He then looked towards the sky, and said, "It has been a while, old friend, and I am very sorry that I am talking to you in a situation such as this. But I am afraid that I don't know what has happened to this boy, let alone how to cure him."

An old voice responded, one that the old troll knew only he could hear. "This boy, you say, what is his name?"

"Jack," replied the troll. "Jack Frost."

"Jack Frost?" replied the man in the moon. "Yes, I know of him. If now were his time, I could not save this life. However, he still has more life to live, and much to discover before his time has passed. I can heal him."

Suddenly, the color rushed back to Jack's face, and his breath was once again warm, with small puffs of mist with every exhale.

"Jack!" cried Anna and Elsa gladly, as Anna wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you," said the troll, "but I'm wondering if you can do one more thing. Can you make it so that he can be with the queen, so they can kiss without any consequence?"

"That time is not yet," responded the moon.

"Thank you," said the troll, bowing slightly to the sky. "Thank you for everything."

When Jack awoke, he found himself in Kristoff's sleigh, with Anna hugging him tightly. "What happened?" he groaned, gently touching his aching head. He turned to Elsa and said, "Wasn't I… Didn't we…?"

"Yeah," Elsa replied. "I'm so sorry. You were unconscious and… and…" She started to cry and hugged him tightly. "I thought I'd lost you!" she said.

"Hey, hey, you can't get rid of me that easily," he said, hugging her back. "I'm never going to leave you, ok?" He put his hands on Elsa's shoulder and pushed her back slightly so he could see her eyes. "You just need to believe in that. You just have to believe in me."

Anna smiled and took both of their hands as Elsa said, "I'll try my best to remember that. I think I can handle believing in you."

"I hope so," said Jack, with a smile, "because I'm not planning on leaving, even if you want me to."

The three of them laughed, just glad that they all still could, and glad they were all still together.

"Shoot!" said Jack suddenly, looking at the sky. "It's late! Emma's gonna kill me for this!"

Elsa laughed and said, "We should all be getting home." She turned to the trolls and said, "Thank you. Thank you so much." before they left.

It had been a few days since Jack had been frozen, and he had been visiting Elsa at the palace, reminding her not to work too hard.

"By the way," he said one day, "I… I really liked that kiss. I wish it were possible for us to do it again."

"I do too," Elsa admitted. "But it's just too complicated."

Jack smiled and kissed two of his fingers, pressing them to her lips. He laughed at the redness that came to her face. "That'll just have to do for now, until we can figure something else out."

"For now," she said, "That's perfect." She kissed her fingers and put them to his lips, smiling, then hugged him. Jack guessed that this must be what love felt like. Even if it wasn't, he never wanted it to end.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

It had been almost one year since Elsa had revealed herself to the kingdom, and the summer days brought Jack and his sister Emma to the palace more and more often, both to see Anna and Elsa, and to cool off with Elsa's ice powers.

"Back again guys?" Anna asked as Jack ran up to the palace with Emma.

"Of course," Jack replied, "it's hot in our house, and my sister can't create ice. She's useless when it comes to heat."

"Oh, and you're such a help" Emma said, shoving her brother a bit.

"Well," said Anna, "Elsa's really busy, right now, so I'm afraid that she won't be cooling anyone off. But Kristoff will be here in a bit, if the two of you want to stay for lunch with us."

Jack and Emma exchanged scared glances. They had learned the hard way that lunch with Anna and Kristoff meant sitting and watching them both eat sandwiches and exchange loving gazes, as anyone else quickly became a third (or fourth) wheel.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think we'll pass for today," said Jack quickly. "Emma and I have… stuff to do. Important stuff."

"Oh yeah, that stuff!" said Emma. "We have to go, now!" The two of them quickly walked off.

"That was a narrow escape," said Emma quietly, glancing at the castle.

"Yeah, too narrow," Jack replied. He then grinned and said, "How about you and I go to the lake instead? The water should cool us off!"

"Alright," said Emma, "but I know the signs of a trip wire much better now than I did before, so you won't get me this time!"

"We'll see about that, little sister," he responded with an evil grin.

About an hour or two later, Jack and Emma dashed out of the woods. Both of them were soaking wet from the lake, and Jack found it hard to hold in his pride that Emma had set a trap for him that had actually worked. As they walked past the castle, they found that Anna and Kristoff were outside, walking around and talking.

"I'm just saying," they heard Kristoff say, "it's not a bad idea. I mean we've been together a while, right?"

"Yeah," they heard Anna start, "But…"

"Jack," said Emma, "It's not polite to eavesdrop. We should go."

Jack sighed and said, "Oh, you can go back if you're scared."

"I'm not scared, I'm just smart," she said. She then loudly said "Come on Jack, let's go home." Anna and Kristoff stopped talking, and Emma grinned.

"You win this round," Jack muttered as they walked back.

The next day, Jack went back to the palace alone. He'd gotten their parents to make Emma watch after the sheep back at the house, so she couldn't come. He hoped she never found out that it was his fault, as if she did, she would kill him.

Jack was dressed in his nicest clothes, which pretty much meant his normal clothes, just slightly cleaner. He and Elsa had been planning this date for weeks, and he wanted to be at least slightly presentable. He had even combed his hair.

Jack knocked on the door, and a servant answered it.

"Welcome back, Jack." said the servant. "Are you here to see the Queen or the Princess this time?"

"The queen." Jack said.

"Ah, yes. I recall that today she had planned an outing. I shall go and get her."

"Thanks, Alfred!" said Jack, smiling.

"Yes, yes. Well, don't just stand out there, come in."

"Oh, right," said Jack, stepping into the palace as Alfred walked away. It was still strange for him to enter the palace, no matter how many times he did it.

He heard footsteps, and he looked down the hall to see Elsa coming towards him. Her hair was in a loose bun that brought all of it out of her eyes. She was dressed in a modest, pale blue dress with a white shawl. It wasn't skin tight like the one made out of ice, and it looked far more casual, like it might be the sunday best of a commoner. She looked far nicer than Jack, but he still sort of missed the ice dress.

"Hello, Jack," she said, smiling at him, her blue eyes twinkling.

"Hey Elsa," he responded. "You're looking beautiful as ever."

She laughed a little and reddened slightly as she said, "Thank you."

"So," said Jack, "What have you been up to? Anna said you were busy yesterday, and so Emma and I bravely fought through the heat."

"Oh, how valient," she replied. "Meanwhile, Weasleton has been trying to blackmail us into reinstating our trade agreement, and they are very persistent."

"They're still trying to threaten you into trading? Well, it's not like you have that much to hide after the word of your powers got out, but still, that sucks." He thought for a bit, then added, "It's a close call, but I think that there is a small chance that what you were going through yesterday was slightly more stressful than what Emma and I were. But only slightly."

She grinned at him and grabbed a hat to cover her white hair, so no one would recognise her, as she said, "So, where do you want to-"

Then suddenly a door flew open, and Anna was rushing towards them. "Big news!" she said, a beam across her face. "I've decided to propose to Kristoff!"

"Really?" asked Elsa. "That's great! How are you going to do it?"

"Well… I had hoped that you two could help me to figure it out," Anna admitted. "I mean, I don't want to be too over the top or anything, 'cause that could get awkward, but I also don't want it to be too, you know, not romantic."

"Well," said Jack, "I think you came to the right place. We are totally romantic, right, Elsa?"

"Um… sure," Elsa replied. "I would tell you to go to where you first met, but I don't think that a trading post is particularly romantic."

"Give us time to think about it," said Jack. "We can come up with anything."

"Alright," said Anna. "But I want to be part of the planning instead of just letting you two take care of it. I trust you, but not quite that much!"

"Alright, I guess that it _is_ your moment," said Jack.

"Should we have a planning meeting?" asked Elsa.

"Probably," said Anna. "Maybe this afternoon? How about now?!"

"Date! Elsa and me! Maybe this afternoon." said Jack.

"Hmm," said Elsa. "I might be able to make it early a week from Thursday, if that's alright."

"Elsa!" said Anna.

"Alright, this afternoon's fine," said Elsa with a grin.

As they left, they heard Anna say, "Whoo! That went much better than the first time I wanted to get married."

Jack and Elsa decided to go into the town. Jack had heard that a traveling magician was going to be there for a month, and it seemed exciting.

"I've never actually seen a magic show before," Jack said as they walked towards the center of the town.

"I've never seen a public one," Elsa said, "so this is going to be a new experience for the both of us."

"I doubt that they'll be as good as anyone chosen to perform for the queen," he said quietly, so no one would realize who she was. Although, he doubted anyone would notice even if they had heard. People tend to see what they expect to see.

They entered the small outdoor pavilion where the magic would be performed, and waited until they heard a loud voice that seemed to come out of nowhere say, "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS, WELCOME AND HAVE FUN, AS YOU WATCH THE WONDERFUL WARREN!" There was a blast of smoke, and a magician seemed to appear. He wore a long black and red cape and had on a pair of white gloves. The length of the gloves were hidden by a long-sleeved black jacket, and he wore a tophat of the same color, which mostly hid his black hair.

"For my first trick," he said, this time speaking at a normal volume, "I will produce a cute, little rabbit from out of my hat!" He whisked off the hat, put his hand in, and pulled out a grey bunny. A round of applause accompanied it as he held up the bunny and crooned, "Oh, E. Aster, my cute wittle bunny wunny." As he rubbed noses with the bunny, it kicked him in the face. He quickly thrust it back into the hat, and tried to wave it off.

The show proceeded like this, with what he did backfiring on him about half the time. He called on a few volunteers, but neither Jack nor Elsa were chosen, much to Jack's displeasure.

As they left, Jack said, "That was fun. I get the feeling he wasn't all that good, but that was fun."

"Yeah," said Elsa with a short laugh. "I had a great time. It's almost better when they mess up than when they do it right."

"That could have been a comedy show," said Jack with a grin.

"Give him some credit," said Elsa. "At least he tried."

"Yeah, I guess, and I thought the bunny wunny was cute-"

"I found you!" a male voice interrupted. Jack turned around to see Kristoff running to catch up to them.

"What's with this?" Jack asked. "We don't interrupt you and Anna on your dates!"

"It's alright, Jack," said Elsa with a small smile at him. "What is it, Kristoff?"

"I… I wanted both of your permission for something," said Kristoff, turning a little red.

"Um… both of us? Well, what is it?" asked Jack.

"Well… I… uh… um… was wondering if you would approve me asking Anna to marry me." He said that last part very quickly. Then, after a moment of thought, he added, "Please."

Elsa and Jack exchanged looks, both thinking of what Anna had said earlier. Then a mischievous grin spread across Jack's face, as he said, "Of course! How are you planning to propose?"

"Well… to be honest, I hadn't thought about that yet," he said, looking sheepish.

"You're in luck!" said Jack. "Elsa and I can help you figure it out!"

"Will you?" asked Kristoff, a smile spreading across his face.

"Of course!" said Jack. "What are friends for?"

"Thank you," said Kristoff. He hugged both of them, then walked away.

"Alright," said Elsa, "what are you planning?"

"Well," said Jack, his usual smile spreading across his face.

Kristoff was so nervous about doing this. It had been about a week since Jack and Elsa had come up with a plan for the perfect proposal to Anna, and it was all going to be set into action tonight.

It had been exactly a year since he and Anna met, and she had invited him to a picnic by the lake that she had loved as a child. Kristoff was dressed in actual nice clothes, made for him by the trolls. It was a bit formal, what with the cape and its ruff, but still good for a picnic with all the leaves. He had tried everything, but realized that the smell was a lost cause. He walked up to the palace doors, and knocked. The servant, Alfred, opened them.

"Ah, Kristoff," he said, sniffing a little, "you must be here for the Princess. Come inside, I will get her."

Kristoff waited, fidgeting with the end of his shirt, until Anna walked in. All he could do was stop and stare at her. She had her hair up in a graceful bun, with a pale pink ribbon in it. Her dress had a pink bodice that matched the ribbon, with beautiful light yellow flowers embroidered into it. The skirt fell down to be just above the ground, and was mostly the same color as the flowers, but it had pink and green designs along the bottom that wove up into beautiful flowers. The whole thing was beautiful, but her bright smile was what made it stunning.

"Hey, Kristoff!" she said, snapping him out of his trance.

"Anna, you look amazing!" he said, smiling at her.

"Thanks," she said, "so do you! Interesting outfit." She held out a picnic basket and blanket that he hadn't noticed her carrying before, and she said, "I got the food, let's go!"

She lead him through the forest until they reached a large clearing with a beautiful lake in it. The setting sun made it dance with golden red colors, which made Anna look even more beautiful, if that was possible.

"Alright," he said, spreading out the blanket for them to sit on, "what did you bring to eat?"

She smiled and pulled out of the basket five sandwiches, some apples and grapes, and then cheese and wine.

"Fancy," he commented, glad that it was going to be nice, if he was gonna propose to her.

They both sat down, and Anna cleared her throat. "So, Kristoff," she started, "I have something big, no, huge that I need to ask you."

"Really?" he exclaimed. "So do I."

"Which one of us should go first?" Anna asked, sounding slightly nervous.

"Um… why don't you," he said.

"No, actually, I really think it would be better if it were you," she said.

"No, no, I insist," he said.

"Wait a moment…" said Anna. "What are the chances that we're about to ask the same thing?"

"We may be," he said, turning a little red.

"Should we ask together and see?" asked Anna.

"Sure," said Kristoff.

Then, at the same time, they both kneeled on one knee, just as they had practiced, and said, "I have known you for a year now, and loved every moment that I have spent with you where we weren't almost getting killed. Will you marry me? YES!"

The two of them kissed, then hugged each other tightly. As they hugged, Anna whispered in Kristoff's ear, "Jack and Elsa totally set this up, didn't they?"

"Yup," said Kristoff, smiling at how easily those two had pulled it off.

"Wow," said Anna, pulling back from the hug. She grabbed one of the sandwiches and held it out to Kristoff.

"Sandwich?" she asked.

"Yes please," he said, more than ready for a good meal after all that stress. "I'm starving."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"I still don't get why I have to dress nicely," Jack complained. pulling impatiently at the collar of the overly fancy outfit provided for him by the palace. "This isn't even my wedding!"

"No, but this is still an official event," said Elsa. "There are lots of representatives from different countries here, and the best man should look presentable."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Well," Elsa said, "if it makes you feel better, the stuff Kristoff is wearing is much worse."

Jack smiled and said, "But Sven doesn't have to wear a tux. It's just me."

This time it was Elsa's turn to roll her eyes, as she said, "He doesn't look as good in one as you. That's the only reason you're the best man."

"Yeah, you're right. I do look pretty amazing. And at least I get to look at you. You look beautiful."

Elsa turned a little red. Jack had meant that, what with her dark blue bodice and flowy light blue skirt. And with the little way that her bangs fell out of her tight bun. And the way that her hands gently straightened out her dress. And how she was carefully fixing his lopsided collar. And the way that her eyes twinkled as she smiled…

Jack was snapped out of his little trance by Kristoff tromping into the room, wearing a dark blue outfit, and (much to Elsa's disapproval) a traditional troll wedding cape. Elsa couldn't talk him out of it, and it was his wedding after all.

"Is it gonna start soon?" Kristoff asked, fidgeting with the bottom of his shirt.

"Still got half an hour," said Elsa. "And both of you should try to refrain from messing with your outfits, if you can. I'll be with Anna, if anyone needs me." She walked out of the room, leaving Kristoff and Jack to suffer together in their stuffy and uncomfortable outfits.

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed. "You look wonderful!"

Anna truly did, in her pure white dress. Floral lace acted as long, graceful sleeves from her white bodice with small designs embroidered on it, and her white skirt had a sparkle to it. Her strawberry blonde hair was loose, falling down her back with everything but the bangs just pinned out of her face. Elsa had never seen her sister look so beautiful.

"I'm gonna throw up," Anna admitted.

"Um… should I get you water?"

"Nevermind, I think I'll be alright. It's just that I've been looking forward to this day for so long, yet now that I'm here, what if I forget my vows? What if I trip? What if-"

"You'll be fine, Anna," said Elsa. "Just take deep breaths. You and Kristoff have been together for over a year. Even if you mess up here, nothing much can change."

"But what if-"

"You'll be fine! Do you love Kristoff?"

"Well, yes," said Anna.

"And he loves you, too. And that's all that really matters, isn't it? You already know you can live with each other, so now all that there is left to do is show everyone else that. Which you're pretty good at."

Anna smiled and hugged Elsa saying, "When did you get so good at this stuff?"

"When I saw my sister needed it," Elsa replied, hugging her back and smiling at her sister. "You really do look wonderful."

"And after this," Anna said, "there'll be a huge party, with lots of chocolate, so that'll be fun! I hear that there's a cool new dance move everyone's doing, the 'chicken with the face of a monkey'."

"That should be… interesting," Elsa replied.

Anna felt better after talking to Elsa, but in no time at all it was time for her to walk down the aisle. Her heart was beating in her throat as she walked towards Kristoff, who looked amazing. As she stepped up next to him, the minister started talking - probably some kind of blessing - but she found that she couldn't listen to a word he was saying. She looked up at Kristoff, and suddenly wanted it all to be over with, so she could just kiss him already.

Then, finally, she heard, "Do you, Anna, take this this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, 'till death do you part?"

"Yes, yup, absolutely," she said.

"And do you, Kristoff, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"Yes!" Kristoff exclaimed. Anna leaned up and kissed him even before she was told to, and in that moment, she knew that this would be a time she could never forget. Even though they hadn't been allowed to write their own vows like she had wanted to, this was the best day of her life.

The party was fun, although the dance that they had heard about tended to end in feet being stepped on. There were fountains of chocolate and, of course, and all-you-can-eat sandwich bar. Anna had ended up dancing with what felt like everyone at the party, but managed to dance with Kristoff the most. Sven and Olaf dancing 'the chicken with the face of a monkey' turned out to be too much of a safety hazard for anyone. That night was one that she would never, ever be able to forget, nor want to. And she knew that Kristoff felt just the same way.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Be careful!" Emma's mother called from inside the house, as Emma pulled her brother out the opened door.

"We will!" Jack shouted behind him, laughing as he was pulled along. It was finally winter, and Jack had promised Emma that they would go skating on natural ice. Not that Elsa's ice wasn't fun, but the other kind always just felt different to Emma. And anyways, whenever Elsa was around, Jack was too busy being love-struck to hang out with his sister. But today, it would just be the two of them, out having a good time.

"Race you to the forest!" Emma called, immediately taking her chance to get an unfair head start. She heard Jack close behind her, and catching up. He was so much taller than she was, it was just no fair. He waved as he passed her, and she started to struggle just to keep him in sight.

She finally reached him at the forest behind the castle, where he was leaning against a tree like he'd been waiting for her for ages. "How many wins has that been for me this year?" he asked. "Ten? Eleven?"

"Just wait until I get taller," said Emma, punching him gently on the arm. "I'll be blowing right past you."

Jack laughed, and gestured into the woods. "After you," he said, a too-polite grin on his face.

"Not this time," said Emma. "I know that look. I think you should clear a path, just to be safe."

"No, no! I insist that you go first. It's only the gentlemanly thing to do."

Emma laughed and shoved him forwards, expecting a tripwire that didn't come. Jack laughed, and teasingly said, "Just keeping you on your toes. You'll never know when I'm just leading you on."

Emma laughed, and said, "Let's just go, before it gets too late to go skating for very long."

Jack smiled, and did indeed lead the way to the lake.

When they made it to the clearing, Emma hastily pulled on her skates, glad that they were finally doing this. She skated out towards the center of the lake quickly, falling over to Jack's chorus of laughter. "That's what you get for not being patient," he called, still lacing up his skates.

"It's been a while since I've been on this ice! Elsa's stuff is much less bumpy!"

Jack skated out to join her, a grin on his face. She got back up and started skating away from him, sticking her tongue out. Then she heard it. A low, dull crack. She looked down at her feet, and saw small fractures lining across the ice. She looked up to see that Jack had stopped moving, stopped talking, and was looking at her feet. Then, he looked back up at her face. "Jack," she said quietly, scared.

He knelt down and took off his skates, saying, "It's ok. It's ok! Don't look down, just look at me."

"Jack, I'm scared," she said, glancing back down at the ice cracking beneath her feet.

"I know, I know," he said, taking a tentative step forward and wincing slightly as the ice cracked beneath his foot. "But you're gonna be alright. You're not gonna fall in. Uh… we're gonna have a little fun instead!" He tried to sound cheerful, even though Emma knew he must have been scared.

"No, we're not!"

"Would I trick you?"

"Yes! You always play tricks!"

"Well, alright, well, not - not this time," he said, his voice trembling just a little, no matter how hard he tried to cover it up. "I promise, I promise, you're gonna be - you're gonna be fine. You have to believe in me." This he said with more confidence, so she almost did.

"You wanna play a game?" he asked, voice suddenly forcing cheerfulness. "We're gonna play hopscotch, like we play everyday. It's as easy as one," he took a step, ice cracking beneath his feet. "Woah!" he said, pretending to trip to make her laugh. "Two," he took another step. "Three!" and he bounded back onto safe area. He looked around for a moment, and saw a large stick with a hook shape at its end. "Alright," he said, picking it up. "Now it's your turn." He positioned the stick to grab her.

"One," he said, and she took a step forwards, gasping as the ice cracked beneath her. "That's it, that's it," he muttered. "Two," she gasped, convinced the ice would give in. "Three!" and he hooked the staff around her, propelling her to safety. She smiled up at him, not registering how far he had slid on the ice, back towards where she'd had come. She stood and laughed once.

Suddenly, Jack wasn't standing there anymore. "Jack!" she shouted, reaching for where he had been, where there was now just a hole in the ice. "Jack!" she shouted again, this time more desperately. "Oh, Jack," she moaned, slumping to her knees, tears starting down her face. The tears wouldn't stop. They kept coming, harder and harder, the sobbs shaking her whole body.

She pounded on the ice, still unable to stop. This was all her fault. Jack would have happily brought Elsa, but Emma had wanted them to be alone. To have fun. If Emma hadn't been so reckless, they wouldn't have been so far out when the ice started to crack, and they could have made it back. If only…

Hours later, and long after dark, Emma found her way back home. She didn't know what to tell her parents, didn't know if she could. But she did know that they had to be told. Then Anna and Elsa and Kristoff. And she had to do it. She looked at the door to her house, the door she'd pulled him through earlier that day, and pushed it open. Her parents rushed to the front of the house. They looked like they'd been worried.

"Where…?" Emma's mother started, looking at her daughter who was very, very alone. Then Emma started crying again, and ran into her mother's arms. "What…?" Then her eyes widened, as if she'd realized what had happened, and pulled Emma closer to her. The tears started leaking down her face, silent tears, as she tried to stop her daughter from knowing, but Emma felt them drip on her head.

"I-I-I'm so-so-sorry," Emma choked out. Her father slumped into a chair, rubbing his eyes. Trying to be strong.

Darkness. It was everywhere. It was dark, and it was cold, and Jack was scared. But then… then he saw the moon. It was so big, and it was so bright, and it seemed to chase the darkness away. Jack felt himself being lifted out of the water, the ice once again crackling around him, and he took a big gulp of clear winter air.

He felt his feet planted on the ice again, the ice now whole beneath him. As he stared up at the moon, as it chased the darkness away, he wasn't scared anymore. He knew the moon had saved him again, but why it had, and what it wanted him to do, he had no idea. He looked down at his hands, which he recognised as paler than they had been before.

Jack looked back up at the moon, and slipped on the ice. Regaining his balance, he started walking forward, until his foot hit something. It was the stick, the one that he'd used to save Emma. It looked more like a staff, really. He nudged it with his toe, and frost spread over it. Intrigued, he bent down and picked it up. It felt somehow… right in his grasp. He noticed more frost starting to line it, and dropped it. Where it landed, beautiful patterns of frost appeared on the ice. He looked down at the staff, a smile curling about his lips.

He ran over to the nearest tree, and gently tapped it with his staff. Ribbons of frost appeared, spreading across the bark. Jack touched them, his smile only widening, before turning around and tapping another tree, leading to the same result. Jack smiled, excited at everything he could do with this and ran, full-speed to the lake, trailing the staff along behind him as he clumsily sped over the ice, tripping and sliding and spinning and laughing.

"Woah!" Jack cried, as he was thrust into the air, as if by a gust of wind. He bobbed unsteadily, trying to regain his balance, when he looked down. And what he saw was beautiful. The lake had intricate patterns of frost all over it, glistening white in the moonlight. _Woah, _he thought, _I could get used to-_

Jack fell, thudding on branch after branch before finally grabbing onto a big one. He laughed to himself as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He couldn't wait to show Elsa. He knew _she _couldn't fly. He perked up, seeing Arendell through the trees, and dashed off to see her.

Elsa didn't believe it at first. She couldn't believe it. This was just some very, very inappropriate joke, and Jack would laugh at her for ever thinking it was true. He was still there he… he was.

But Elsa knew it was true, seeing the way that Emma's eyes avoided hers, the red rims, the hair that was usually so well cared for left un-brushed. Anna's eyes filled with tears, and she clutched Kristoff's arm.

Elsa was numb for a moment, but then she clasped her hands to her mouth and ran to her room, locking the door behind her. She sat there, with her back against the door, as she had so many times before, and cried.

Jack rushed to the castle as fast as he could, hardly being able to keep in his excitement about showing everyone what he could do now. He let himself into the castle from a window on the top floor, anxious to surprise everyone with his new-found ability. He rushed through the halls, hardly noticing that wherever he went was already quite cold. Then he heard something, and stopped dead in his tracks.

He'd heard that sound before, but it had been a long time since that day at the lake. Years. And and after that, Jack had never heard Anna cry so hard. He pushed open a door at the end of a long hall. Anna sat there, Kristoff hugging her close to him, his shirt becoming wet from her tears.

"A… Anna?" Jack asked worriedly, dashing over next to her. "Hey, Anna. What happened?"

"I'm so sorry," Kristoff said gently, his voice thick. Jack looked at him and saw that his face was wet, too.

"Anna!" said Jack, trying to pull her away from him, to ask what happened. But his hand went right through her. He gasped, looking down at himself.

"H-he's go-gone," said Anna. "H-he was al-ways there for me, and I did-didn't… cou-couldn't..." She cried even harder, and Kristoff rubbed her back, barely holding back his own sobs and saying, "I know. I know."

Jack took a step back, looking down at himself. "Anna…" he said. "Is it… are you missing... me? I'm right here!" He felt hysteria building in his chest. "I'm here, Anna! Anna! Please…" his voice cracked slightly, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Please," he whispered. "Please see me."

**To be continued...**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"I'm back," Jack said, slipping into Elsa's window. He had quickly realized how difficult it was for him to be anywhere where it wasn't, well, winter. He supposed he should have expected this, what with the fact he was a winter spirit or something now. He still wasn't solid on the details. Although he found it exciting to see the world, he had missed his home. And he had missed watching Elsa. Although, he would have prefered actually talking to her, but he would take what he could get.

She stood up and closed the window, frowning a little. He liked to think she was thinking about the time he snuck into her room that way on April Fools and scared her half to death. He smiled a bit at the memory. "How've you been?" he asked her deaf ears. "I hated spending almost half a year without you, you know. Utter torture."

She sat back down at her desk and continued an almost-finished proposal that Jack could hardly understand, with all the fancy language she was using. This was why he was never interested in politics. "So, which country wants you to stay up all night to do something completely unreasonable for them this time? Ours?" He skimmed the paper, and said, "Oh, it says 'Southern Isles' a lot in there. Are they giving you trouble again? I can't really understand what you're trying to do here. Why do you always feel the need to write so fancy? No one can understand that!"

"No normal person will be able to understand this," she said quietly, folding her arms on her desk and putting her head between them.

"That's what I'm saying!" Jack said, with a small smile.

"I don't understand why no one wants things written in plain English. It would be much simpler," she muttered, seeming slightly annoyed.

"Yeah, tell me about it," he said, going over to a comfy blue seat in the corner of the room and making himself quite at home there. "It's nice to be home," he said, drawing patterns of frost on the seat. "You should travel more. The world is amazing! You may not believe it, but I saw dragons! Well, I guess you would believe it. If you can have ice powers, then some boy in Berk can ride dragons."

Time passed, and Jack had never been more bored in his life. Or his death, for that matter. All that was happening was this stupid thing on one could understand. And Jack couldn't exactly make small talk by himself.

Even worse, it dragged on for hours. And hours. And hours. Jack would have gone insane if it were him having to write some weird proposal that the Southern Isles probably would never even look at.

FINALLY Elsa sighed and pushed the paper away from herself. "That's as good as it's going to get," she said quietly, sitting up. Jack noticed only then the dark circles under her eyes. How long had it been since she fully slept? She walked across her room crashed down on her bed without even bothering to get changed (which would have driven Jack out of the room anyway), and passed out almost immediately, in a way that seemed far more like Anna than like Elsa.

Jack smiled gently and pulled her covers up over her. He could do at least that much to help her, but only when no one would notice. This whole invisible thing was just weird like that. "I'll be back," he said quietly into her ear. Standing straight again, he pushed open the window and slipped out, closing it behind him as to not wake her up. He zipped through the night sky, still enjoying the feeling of flight. Would he ever stop loving it? He didn't think so. Wherever he flew, snow started to fall in his wake. Anna would love that. She always loved waking up to find it had snowed during the night. He smiled, thinking about how she would love to go out again, making the first footprints in the fresh snow. He imagined her running, pulling Kristoff through the snow to the forest…

Jack landed gently outside his house, enjoying how it hadn't changed at all since he'd left it. He smiled slightly and opened the door, as he had done so many times before. He made sure to close it behind him; his mom always got angry when he didn't. "I'm home," he called, walking to the living room, where Emma was sitting on the floor next to the blazing fireplace, and their parents were sitting on their couch just a little further back.

Emma shivered and said, "I hate the way that drafts always come through this house."

Jack smiled. "Sorry, Emma," he said. "That's my fault. I'll try to be less cold, though." Even as he said it, he had a hard time resisting the temptation to blow on her neck.

He propped his staff up against a wall, then plopped down next to her and just sat there, listening to their parents talk. Emma just kept looking at the fire, shivering any time that Jack stopped concentrating on keeping the cold in. And Jack just wished that he could talk to her and make fun of her and she would laugh and threaten to push him in the fire and their parents would intervene and make them both apologize and then send them to bed. But it was impossible. Because she just couldn't see him.

Jack didn't remember falling asleep, but the next thing he knew it was morning, and the world outside the window was all white. He saw Emma sitting outside, quietly watching the sheep like she was supposed to. That wasn't right. It was the first snow of the year! She should have been neglecting all of her duties and running through the snow to meet Anna and try and finally make the best prank for him when they went to the lake…

That was why. The lake. They always went skating but Jack realized that she just wouldn't want to go there anymore. Not after what happened to him.

He grabbed his staff and slipped out the window, flying toward her until he landed right in front of her, hands on his hips. "You know," he said, "you could just go build a snowman with Anna and Elsa. You all need some fun in your lives. It's alright to let yourself have fun without me. I swear, I won't feel hurt. Just let yourself have fun."

She didn't do anything, just kept looking through him at the sheep. "Now look," he said, kneeling down to her eye level, "think about what I would want you to do. Do you really think that the best way to remember me is by being sad?" She didn't do anything to react. He _wanted_ a way to make her smile. He wanted it more than anything. He rubbed his hands together as he tried to think of a way to trick her into having fun. He sighed. "I got nothin," he said, dropping his hands to his side. But where they had been clasped was a snowflake. He looked at it carefully. It didn't look like any of Elsa's snowflakes, but it was slightly blue tinted like one of hers. It didn't really matter, though. He gently blew it away from himself, and it flew straight into Emma's face.

"Oops, sorry," he said, standing straight again and starting to turn away. But then he heard Emma's laugh from behind him. He turned quickly, and saw her making a snow angel, with a huge smile on her face, like one that he hadn't seen her make since before he died.

She got up and dashed to the house, pulled open the door and shouted, "Mom! Dad! Can I go and see Anna today?!"

"Of course!" was the immediate response from their mother. She sounded happy to hear Emma was going. It made Jack wonder if she had decided to see Anna at all in the time he'd been away. Emma immediately dashed away, heading for the castle.

He looked down at his hands. Had it been the snowflake that caused this? If it was, then Jack had greatly underestimated his powers. Could he really make some just be… happy? He smiled and looked at the sky. "Thank you," he said, even though the moon was nowhere in sight. "Thank you so much. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to do anything to help her." Even though he couldn't see it, he imagined that the moon was smiling. Then he took off after Emma. He wanted to make sure that everyone was happy.

Emma had barged in, and asked Elsa and Anna if they wanted to build a snowman. Anna, being Anna, had agreed immediately. Elsa didn't know what had caused Emma to come here but it was nice to see her smile again. Elsa decided not to go play with them, even though she knew it would make them happy. She didn't know why, but she just didn't think that it would feel right without Jack. Then again, nothing had felt right since that day…

Elsa sighed as she looked out her window. It had suddenly gotten colder in the palace with the coming of winter, despite the fact that all the fireplaces were lit. Elsa wasn't sure what was doing it, but it might have been because winter reminded her of Jack. Or maybe it was because the proposal that she had written to prevent the Southern Isles from declaring war had been shipped that day, and she was afraid that it wouldn't be enough. Her kingdom was still getting used to a new queen, and couldn't afford to go to war now. Everything got cold when she thought of sad things. That was just how it worked.

Elsa lay in her bed, put a pillow over her head, and tried to stop thinking. But it was all no use. She got up and walked over to her window, opening it, and letting the sounds of Anna, Emma and Kristoff laughing and playing rush into her room. She watched with a smile, as Anna and Kristoff were crouched behind a snow fort, being bombarded with snowballs from Emma, crouching behind her own.

It really did look like fun. Elsa felt a smile on her face. From this view, she couldn't see Emma behind her fort, and could imagine that Jack was back there with her. He would make fun of her for locking herself in her room while her family was out there, having fun. He might even come up and pester her until she agreed to come down, at least for a little bit.

It was odd. She felt like he was there somehow, part of all of the chaos below. She knew, more than ever, that he would want her to join them. She knew that Jack wanted her to join them. And a small smile crept on her face. She would go, because she trusted Jack's judgement, because she believed in Jack.

" . . . so you should totally go, and it will make them…" she heard a male voice say. She spun around quickly, and took in what she saw. At first glance, it was just a stranger with white hair, blue eyes and a giant staff sitting in a chair in her bedroom, a weird boy who she somehow just hadn't noticed before. Her first reaction was to throw him out. But, as she looked at his face… it was what she saw every time she closed her eyes, and the way he was sitting…

"Jack?" she asked quietly.

That got him to stop talking. He just stared at her for a few moments. And then he said, "Did you just… Did you just say my name?"

"Jack," she said again, feeling tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"Y-you said it again," he said. "Can you… see me?"

Elsa ran forward and embraced him. She felt herself crying, but it wasn't out of sadness. She had never been so happy in her life. She broke the hug to grab his face and kiss him. When they broke apart, she asked, "Does that answer your question?"

"Oh my god, y-you can _see_ me!" With that, he started crying too, and hugged her like he never wanted to let go again.

"How?" she asked into his shoulder. "You were dead!"

"I th-think it was the M-Man i-in the Moon. He s-saved me."

"Where were you?" she asked, more quietly. "All that time when you had returned, where were you?"

"I-I was h-here," he said, the hug tightening. "I was her the whole t-time. Well, h-half the t-time. If it i-isn't wint-ter, I can't stay." He ended the hug and held her at arms length, just looking at her. "I have wanted to say this for almost a year now. I love you, Elsa. I love you so much." And then they were kissing again, and a blizzard was swirling around them, and Jack was lifting her into the air, and they were _actually flying, _and Elsa had never felt so blissful in her life.

"I wish I had known," she said as she broke away from the kiss. "I wish someone could have told me you were still here."

"No one could have," Jack responded. "No one could see me. You… you were the first. I wish someone could have seen me, to tell you that I was still here, that I would make sure to come back."

Olaf walked past Elsa's open door. He looked inside. "Oh, hey Jack," he said casually, before walking off.

Jack and Elsa just stared at the open door. "UUh, I guess I never thought of talking to Olaf," Jack said.

"That whole time, and you didn't even ONCE try to talk to the magic ice being? Did your brain get frostbitten?"

Elsa smiled. She never thought that she would see Jack again. But he told her he would be there for her, all that time ago when she'd almost killed him with a kiss. All she'd need to do was believe in him, and he would find her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Elsa and Jack were back together, after what felt like an eternity. Then there was breaking the news to Anna, with a tackle hug the moment she could see Jack again. Emma just sort of clung to him. There was no getting her to let go for almost two weeks after. It would have been annoying if it weren't just so _nice._ He was home for half the year! And everyone was there with him. There was honestly nothing more that he could have wanted.

Jack was was gone for half a year, and when he got back, Anna was _huge_. "What happened?" Jack asked. "Did you eat a whale?"

"Very funny," was Anna's reply. "Maybe I won't tell my child about your existance. Let them never know about Uncle Jack, the never-aging winter boy."

"Have mercy!" Jack cried dramatically. "Just because Elsa and I can't get married with the whole 'till death do you part' thing doesn't mean I'm not it's uncle!"

"It really does," Elsa reminded him helpfully.

"You people are no fun," Jack said, pouting.

Anna and Kristoff did, in fact tell their new daughter, Rose, about Jack's existence. It would have been "too complicated" otherwise.

Rose was five when Anna got pregnant again. "There's gonna be another one?" Jack had asked when Anna and Kristoff had told Jack and Elsa the news.

"You bet!" said Anna. "Me and Kristoff have a bet going. I think it'll be a boy, he thinks girl."

Jack bent down and put a hand on her stomach. "Definately girl," he said. "I'd bet money on that."

A few months later Jack lost five dollars.

It was weird when Jack realized he was still taller, but Emma really did look older. She was supposed to be his _baby_ sister!

"So, you want to go with him," Jack said to Emma.

"Yup," she said. "I'm sorry he can't see you. I wish I knew why. I swear, he's a nice guy. He's wonderful! I think… I think he might be my Elsa."

Jack smiled. He had known this day might come, the day he'd have to let his sister go. He'd just never thought that the guy would want to take her away to Corona. "Just promise me that you've thought this through," he said.

"I have," she assured him. "We'll live with his family for a bit. He'll make some money at his job, and we'll buy our own house as soon as we can. I really love him, Jack."

Jack sighed. "I know you do." He wrapped her up in a hug. "Good luck," he said. "Make sure to write as often as possible. I'll visit sometimes, but it'll be hard with him unable to see me."

"I know," Emma sighed. "I love you, Jack."

"Love you too, Emma."

"Slow down, Jack!" Elsa said, laughing. "My knees aren't what they used to be!"

Jack smiled and doubled back. "Of course. Well, this is just as good a spot as the one we planned!" With that he plopped down right where he was. She smiled at him gratefully.

When Elsa reached 60, she decided it was time to abdicate. As she and Jack couldn't exactly have kids, Rose took the throne. Her coronation was so much less stressful than Elsa's had been it was almost funny. Anna cried when her baby girl ascended to the throne. Kristoff cried even harder. It would have been funny if Jack hadn't been crying too. Rose really grew up well.

Kristoff was 64 when he passed. It was difficult for everyone. Jack had not been there. It was a summer death. He know that someday everyone had to die, but it wasn't until then that it really sunk in. He wondered about himself. He still looked 17. Would he die like the rest of them? Could he?

Anna was nearly 80. She was laying in bed, coughing again. She had her children there, and her four grandchildren, and, of course, Jack and Elsa. She was still beautiful.

"You know it's fine, right, Elsa?" Anna said with a small smile. "I really can't wait to see Kristoff again. I'll tell him you all say 'hi.'"

"Tell him to show you all the coolest places in wherever you end up," said Jack. "Knowing him, he already has a secret hangout and found Sven to join him there."

"Probably," Elsa said gently.

"God, I'm tired," Anna said. "I'm gonna go to sleep, so please don't wake me up." That was the last thing Jack ever heard her say.

Elsa was 100. An impressive age for a human, even one with ice powers. But it couldn't last forever. It was hard, watching her fade away, but at least it winter, so Jack could be there for her.

"So, how you holding up?" he asked as he sat by her bed and took her hand.

"Alright," she said with a small smile, despite the hoarseness of her voice. "I expected to be scared, but I'm just… not."

"That's good, I suppose," said Jack with a smile. "Being scared is sort of awful."

Olaf came in. He was looking just as bad as Elsa. He hadn't aged, really, until she started to get sick.

"Hey guys, did I walk in on something?" he asked.

"Not at all," said Elsa with a smile.

"Good, good. The palace is heating up, so I think I'll stay in here with you two for a while," he said with a smile.

"You know," Jack said, "I could try to keep you going for longer. I have ice powers too. I don't know if it would work, but it's certainly worth a try."

Olaf shook his head. "No," he said with a smile, "There is no one else I'd rather melt with than Elsa."

Jack nodded. That was one thing he could understand. He didn't want to live without her either.

Elsa didn't let go of his hand. "I love you, Jack," she whispered.

"I love you, too," he said, trying not to cry. "I'll always love you." He felt himself lean forward and kiss her.

She was gone. Elsa was gone. That was all Jack could think. He couldn't feel anything. She wasn't there to hold, to tell him it's all alright. Because it wasn't alright. And it never would be again.

Every time he closed his eyes Jack saw her, as she was for their first kiss, and then for their last. Elsa. The only person he'd ever fallen in love with. The person he'd spent a lifetime with. Only, he had more lifetimes. Countless lifetimes, countless years. And he couldn't spend them without her.

That's when he thought of it. He could go to the trolls! Their magic was great, had brought him from the brink of death. If anyone could bring her back, if it was even remotely possible, it would be them.

He flew faster than he ever had, landing hard in the middle of a clearing that he knew well, with rocks scattered around everywhere. "I need to speak with you!" he called. Suddenly, the rocks rolled up to him, and revealed their true form.

"It's Jack!" said Grand-mammi, the troll leader. She was middle-aged now but Jack remembered when she had been a little thing tattling about Kristoff tinkling in the woods.

She looked at him and her tone changed. "Jack, what's wrong?"

"It's Elsa..." he started crying, couldn't speak through the lump in his throat.

"Oh my," said Grand-mammi, going up to pat Jack on the shoulder. "She lived a good life, Jack. A life filled with happiness. And you got to share it with her. That should make you proud."

Jack took deep breaths. "It's not enough," he said when he could. "I need her. I can't live without her! There must be some way to bring her back!"

"Not even all the magic in the world can reverse death," said the troll, looking at Jack with all too much pity in her eyes. "There is nothing that we can do."

"What about the man in the moon?!"

"He cannot change fate," said Grand-mammi, "and it was never Elsa's destiny to live as a spirit."

"Why NOT?!" Jack snapped.

"I do not understand the moon's limitations. But he cannot bring her back, and he has no choice."

Jack wanted to deny it, wished it wasn't true, but he knew that it must be. Trolls don't lie.

Suddenly he had an idea. "She may never return," Jack said, and had to swallow the lump in his throat before going on, "but maybe I can forget her."

"What?" Grand-mammi asked, eyes wide.

"I can't _live _like this!" Jack exclaimed. "I know you can make people forget, just like Grand-pappi did to Anna as a kid."

She thought for a moment. "You have known Elsa for most of your human life as well. In order to forget her completely, we would have to erase everything from when you first met her. You would have nothing left!"

"I don't care!" Jack shouted. He took a deep breath "I can't live like this," came out as a whisper.

"You will never die, Jack. You would go an eternity never knowing who you were."

"I don't care," he said again, this time calmer. "All I need is a name. Please, do it. I'm begging you!"

"Very well," he said. "You will remember only your name and your re-birth. Nothing else."

"Good," Jack replied.

He knelt down, and allowed the troll to put her hand to Jack's head, watched his memories spinning, taken away, replaced by a full moon. And then, everything was black.

**Epilogue:**

Pitch stood over the crevice Jack had fallen in, laughing as he threw the broken pieces of Jack's staff down at him, before leaving him there to rot. Jack stirred, looking around. "Babytooth," he said, lunging forward and scooping his friend up in his hands immediately. "You alright?" he asked.

Babytooth squeaked out a sneeze as he cover her with his hands.

Jack sighed. "Sorry," he said, "All I can do is keep you cold." He sat up, lifting her closer to eye level. "Pitch was right," he said, kneeling down again. "I make a mess of everything."

Babytooth looked up at him, then climbed into his sweater pocket. "Hey," he said, then sighed and lay down, sure she agreed with him.

Then he heard a voice. "Jack!" it said, echoing strangely. He opened his eyes. "Jack," it repeated. He looked down, and his pocket was _glowing_! He scrambled backwards, as if to get away from it. That didn't work, given it was attached to his person. He took the device Pitch had given him out of his pocket as it said his name a third time, and stared at it. Babytooth reached out and touched it, nodding reassuringly. Jack gently touched the blue diamond in the center, and the world around him faded away.

He was with a bunch of kids on an easter egg hunt, his mom telling him he can't just run off.

He was laughing as a girl with white-blond hair stood dripping wet and fuming in front of him.

He was hanging upside down from a tree branch with a girls shouting "Jack, get down from there!"

He was ice skating and trying to prove he was the superior ice skater.

He was by the lake, splashing a girl with strawberry blonde hair.

He was horsing around, pretending to be a monster with a bunch of people laughing.

He was zipping around the lake, taunting the white-haired girl. He was kissing her.

He was going out with a girl… his sister… to the lake.

He was dying.

And then he was living again.

He had a full life.

And he'd thrown it all away

Jack gasped, his eyes wide open as reality came back to him. He looked down at the device then at Babytooth. "Did you see - did you see that?!" he exclaimed. Babytooth shook her head as Jack gasped out, "It was - it was me! I had a family! I had friends, was in love! I had a sister! I saved her!" He laughed slightly.

He smiled as he thought of… Elsa. Her name was Elsa.

"That's why you chose me," he said, looking up at the full moon. "I'm… I'm a guardian!" He looked over at Babytooth. "Come on, we're getting out of here." He put her on the floor, and thought of everything that he was. He thought of his sister. Emma was her name. Of Anna, who he loved like a sister. Elsa, who he'd loved more than he thought he could. Of his life. He channeled all of that into one task; putting his staff back together. Because his memories were who he was. They gave him strength. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Emma, even Olaf - they became his strength. Blue light filtered from the crack in the pieces of the staff, and just like that it was whole again. As was he.


End file.
